Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1887-07-23


back Of the cart, so that it fell to the ground
"That will feed our horses for week" he
said, with chuckle, in which the other man
ioined. 1t was pleasant to become so easily
possessed of an unearned increment in the
shape Of a bag Of mealies.
"Well, are we to let the old crow gol' said
the first man.
"If we don't let him go we shall have to
take him up to headquarters, and want to
60 to sleep" And he yawned.
swell, let him CO." answered the other. II
think you are right The pass said two carts.
Be Oft, you id preaching Englishman!"
John did not wait for any more, but laid
the whip across the horses backs with will.
On the following morning, when Com
mandant Frank Muller-having heard that
this enemy, John Mel, was on bis way up
with the Cape cart and four gray horses-as-
certained that vehicle answering to that
description had been allowed to pa through
Heidelberg in the dead of night, his state of
mind may better be imagined than de-
scribed.
AS for the two sentries, he had them tried
by court martial and set them to make forti-
cations for the rest of the rebellion. They
can neither of them now hear the name of a
clergyman mentioned without breaking out
into perfect flood of blasphemy.
Luckily for John, although he had been
delayed for five minutes or more, he man.
aged to overtake the cart in which he pre-
sumed the bishop was esconced. His lordship
had been providentially delayed by the break
ing of trace; otherwise, it is clear that his
self nominated chaplain would never have
got through the steep streets of Heidelberg
that night. The whole town was choked up
with Boer wagons, full now of sleeping
Beers. Over one batch of wagons and tents
John made out the Transvaal flag fluttering
in the night breeze, and emblaZoned with the
appropriate emblem Of all OK wagon and an
armed Boer, marking, no doubt, the head
quarters of the triumvirate Once the cart
ahead Of him was stopped by sentry and
some conversation ensued. Then it went on
again; and so did John. unmolested. 1t was
weary work, that journey through Heidel-
berg, and full of terrors for John, who every
moment expected to be stopped and dragged
off ignominiously to Jail. The horses, too,
were dead beat and made frantic attempts
to turn and stop at every house. But, some
how, they got through the little place and
then were stopped once more. Again the
first cart got on ahead, but this time John
WIS not so lucky.
"Tbe pass said one cart" ;" said voice.
iYah, yah, one cart" answered another.
John again put on his clerical air and told
his artless tale; but neither Of the men could
understand English, so they went to a wagon
that was standing about fifty yards away to
fetch somebody who could.
"Now, inkoos," whispered the Zulu Mouti,
"drive on. drive onl"
IObn took tho hint and laShod the horses
with his long whip; while Mouti, bending
forward over the splashboard, thrashed the
wheelers with sjambock. Off went the
team in spasmodic gallop and had covered
hundred yards of ground before the two
sentries had realized what had happened.
Then they began to run after the cart shout
ing, but were soon lost in the darkness.
John and Mouti did not spare the whip,
but pressed on up the stony bills on the Pre-
toria side of Heidelberg without a halt.
By II o'clock they reached hotel, or way
side house, known as Ferguson's, and situated
about twenty miles from Pretoria. 1t was
empty, except for a couple of cats and stray
dog. The inhabitants had evidently fled
from the Eoers. Here John stabbed and fed
his horses, giving them all that remained Of
the forage; and then, once more, started on
for the last stage The road was dreadful;
and he knew that the country must be full of
hostile Beers, but fortunately he met none.
1t took him four hours to get over the twenty
miles of ground: but it was not until he got
to the "Poort," or neck running down into
Pretoria, that he saw a vestige of Boer.
Then he made out two mounted men riding
along the top of precipitous stone strewn
ridge, some 600 yards OF so from him. At
first he thought that they were going to de-
scend it, but presently they changed their
rlinds and got off their horses.
While he was still wondering what this
might portend, he saw q puff of white smoke
float up from where the men were, and then
another. Then came the sharp. unmistakable
"ping" of a bullet passing, as far as he could
judge, within three feet of his head, followed
by second ping" and cloud of dust be-
meath the belly of the first horse. The tive
Beers were firing at him.
He did not wait for any more target prac
tice but, thrashing the horses to a canter
got the cart round a projecting bank before
they could load and fire again. After that
he saw no more of them.
At last he reached the mouth OF the Poor
and saw the prettiest of the South African
towns, with its red and white houses, its tai
clumps of trees and pink lines of blooming
rose hedges lying on the plain before him, all
set in the green veldt, and made beautiful by
the golden light of the afternoon, and he
thanked God for the sight He knew that he
was safe now, and let his tired horses walk
slowly down the hillside and across the bit of
plain beyond. To his left were the Jail and
barrack sheds. and gathered about them were
hundreds of wagons and tents, toward which
he drove. Evidently the town was deserted
and its inhabitants in danger. When he got
within half a mile or so picket of mounted
men came riding toward him. followed by a
miscellaneous crowd on horseback and on
foot.
"Who goes therer shouted voice in honest
English.
"A friend who is uncommonly glad to see
you," he answered, with that feeble jocosity
we are all apt to indulge in when a great
weight is at length lifted from our nerves.
CHAPTER XVI.
PRETORIA.
jess did not have a very happy time Of II
Of proforio ,,rauio.,o 30 tho onthron L. pf ho.-